1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stage apparatus which moves a movable stage in two orthogonal directions in a plane, and a camera shake correction apparatus using the stage apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A known stage apparatus in which a movable stage is moved in two orthogonal directions in a plane is described in, for example, Japanese laid-open patent publications H10-268373 and H11-148984.
Each of such known stage apparatuses is provided with a stationary support plate, a movable stage, a linkage, and a driving system. The movable stage is provided parallel to the stationary support plate. The movable stage is guided by the linkage to be movable relative to the stationary support plate in two orthogonal directions: a specific Y-direction parallel to the movable stage and an X-direction orthogonal to the Y-direction. The driving system drives the movable stage in the X and Y directions.
When the movable stage is driven in the X and Y directions by the driving system, the movable stage moves relative to the stationary support plate in the X and Y directions while changing the shape of the linkage in the X and Y directions.
However, the linkage used in each of the above known stage apparatuses is constructed out of a large number of components, thus leading to a complicated structure and an increase in the production cost of the stage apparatus.